Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has distanced herself from a viral social media post falsely attributed to her, which criticised President Bola Tinubu over the way he handles insecurity in Nigeria.

A post via her verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, described the message as fake and malicious, stressing that it did not originate from her.

She cautioned the public against believing or sharing the false information, adding that legal steps were being taken against those behind the impersonation.

“Beware, this story going around on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook is false! We are taking action! The person who did this could not even spell my name,” she wrote.

The clarification comes following a post, titled “Trump didn’t ‘hit’ us – our leaders did,” which claimed that Okonjo-Iweala accused Nigerian leaders of prioritising rhetoric over decisive action against banditry and insurgency.

It also claimed that the former Minister of Finance urged Tinubu to “stop the damage control speeches” and “secure the people.”

Okonjo-Iweala, however, condemned the impersonation. She urged the culprits to take responsibility instead of hiding behind her identity.

“Whichever coward did this should write the message in their own name and not hide behind mine or anyone else’s! Scammers and 419ers, stop!” she added.

Her reaction came amid renewed controversy over comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who alleged that Christians were being targeted in Nigeria.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump warned that the United States might “go in guns blazing” if the alleged killings continued.

Reacting to Trump’s genocide claims, Tinubu, in a post on X, emphasised that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and that his administration actively engages leaders of all faiths to promote peace and security.

He rejected foreign portrayals of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant nation, describing them as inaccurate and inconsistent with the country’s diversity and unity.

The President said religious tolerance “has been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.”

He also pledged to continue working with the United States and other global partners to deepen mutual understanding and protect communities of all faiths. (CHANNELS)